Iran vs. Japan - [Match Thread] | Asian Cup 2023 | Saturday, February 3rd |

[momad2468]

A few points:

* Members old enough to remember 2004 will recall how the odds were stacked against TM prior to the QF against Korea (in particular, the team were stuck at an airport all day due to delayed flights and missed a day of recovery/preparation). We played a high "gheyrat" game that day, and will need the same against Japan, as I don't see a coaching masterclass from GN.
* Credit to where it is due, I have been told by some people close the camp that GN has worked with the guys for a significant amount of time on penalties and being down to 10 men. So, even though there are aspects of GN's coaching I find totally baffling, he has done some things OK in preparation.
* Anything other than a 4-5-1 is suicide against Japan. I would leave Ehsan on the bench as he was totally gassed after the Syria game (was severely cramping after his penalty), and I think we might need him to sub on as a DM as Omid/Ezza tire in the second half. If Hosseini is available, I would play Shoja as a RB and bench Rezaeian. If Shoja is no good (cramps are very difficult to overcome in 3 days), then hopefully Hosseini is good to go. Not a fan of Torabi off the pitch, but on the pitch he provides good physicality, energy and touch. I think this lineup is a good combination of physicality, workrate, and most importantly, being able to play out of a press:

------------- Beiranvand----------------
Rezeian--Kanaani---Shoja------Mohammadi
----------Omid------Ezzatolahi---------
-----Gholi-----Ghoddos--------Torabi
-----------------Azmoun-----------------------

[Damavand]

Ok, granted, I will retract that part, but he's still a bache basiji.

If he can help us against Japan I will forgive him, temporarily.

[DR Strangemoosh]

A few points:

* Members old enough to remember 2004 will recall how the odds were stacked against TM prior to the QF against Korea (in particular, the team were stuck at an airport all day due to delayed flights and missed a day of recovery/preparation). We played a high "gheyrat" game that day, and will need the same against Japan, as I don't see a coaching masterclass from GN.
* Credit to where it is due, I have been told by some people close the camp that GN has worked with the guys for a significant amount of time on penalties and being down to 10 men. So, even though there are aspects of GN's coaching I find totally baffling, he has done some things OK in preparation.
* Anything other than a 4-5-1 is suicide against Japan. I would leave Ehsan on the bench as he was totally gassed after the Syria game (was severely cramping after his penalty), and I think we might need him to sub on as a DM as Omid/Ezza tire in the second half. If Hosseini is available, I would play Shoja as a RB and bench Rezaeian. If Shoja is no good (cramps are very difficult to overcome in 3 days), then hopefully Hosseini is good to go. Not a fan of Torabi off the pitch, but on the pitch he provides good physicality, energy and touch. I think this lineup is a good combination of physicality, workrate, and most importantly, being able to play out of a press:

------------- Beiranvand----------------
Rezeian--Kanaani---Shoja------Mohammadi
----------Omid------Ezzatolahi---------
-----Gholi-----Ghoddos--------Torabi
-----------------Azmoun-----------------------

Agree with your points about formation and approach

I think age of certain members might have a role, who seems to think that we should play the same formation as we did today

2004 we beat Korea with a very defensive group of players at just shthoused the game

Alavi and nekounam protecting Zare, taghipour, golmohammadi, kameli mofrad and kaabi (5 defenders with two ahead of them), then we punished Korea on counters

If we had that kind of line up now, folk like peiman would be trolling non stop

One of the only times I was impressed with Branko before his 2005 shambles-fest

[Damavand]

Return of Mitoma - Japan's player of the year, from injury, in the last half hour today

Even though he is Japan's strongest attacking threat, Saman put him in his pocket earlier in the season as left wing back for Brentford

Saman and Milad behind him would be a sturdy bastion against him, with Hajsafi as inverted wing-back/LCDM providing extra cover

https://twitter.com/EnjoyFootball_J/...ugYsSv0Vw&s=19

Lets hope Saman recovers fully from his influenza by game day.

[Hosseini]

This will be the first daytime game we play at the tournament

[DR Strangemoosh]

My line up isn't too far away from momads above, just that I prefer experimenting with pacy Yousefi over a Rezaian who increasingly is leaving his slot empty. Also have removed Torabi and put Hajsafi as inverted wing back operating between Ghoddos and Mohammadi to choke the Japanese waves

This line up is definitely no where near as defensive/shithouseville as our line up against Korea in the QF of 2004, in which we still managed to score four goals on counters against a Korea team which was much faster and fitter than us!

Most of that game was about speedy Kaabi behind Mahdavikia feeding Karimi whilst Daei wàs distracting their defenders. The other players were hustling and hassling. We can emulate that formula

As momad says, playing an attacking formation is suicide

---------------------Azmoun---------------------
---Ghoddos---------------------Gholizadeh
-------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Ebrahimi---------------------
-------Hajsafi-----------------Ezatollahi----
Mohammadi---------------------Yousefi--
------------Khalilzadeh--Kanaani---------
-------------------Beiranvand-----------------

[Damavand]

[DR Strangemoosh]

Stadium atmosphere will be key

Hopefully fewer regime folks and a couple more regular fans, although we know from Qatar WC that this is unlikely....

Japan has great fans who clean up the stadium and musicians with those big drums but they don't have the chanting and rhythm of Iranian fans

I personally want to see this song become a chant, maybe Jahanbakhsh can hook the guy up with some tickets?

https://youtu.be/bU6BuFCDago?si=RdtJzLFqgM37WKxw

[Iran_19]

Beiro
Ramin-Kananj-Shoja-Hajsafi
Saeed-Omid
Torabi~Ghoddos-Ghaedi
Sardar


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[perspolis#1]

aziz, i've watched all 4 of their games so far. I really wasn't that impressed. As I say, on paper they look great, but it's all about the team. Look at England's team on paper, they should be winning everything in sight but they've won the square root of bugger all!

It's not just their clubs its the way they play I described that is a weakness for us if we play open.

England is not the best team in the world but 9 times out of 10 they will beat us worse than any other team. We would do better against Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil. The way England plays is a poor matchup for us.

I think we beat Australia much easier than any game with Japan.

As of right now, their "team collective" is still better than ours when our wingbacks are passing to invisible people under no pressure and our main distributor is trying to do Zidane flick passes instead of work on his completion %.

[DR Strangemoosh]

How long have some of these guys been watching football for?

the takes...

https://twitter.com/dzdjud85174/stat...LFIiRHyRg&s=19

[Prowess]

We need to pack the midfield with 4-5-1:

Rezaeian Shoja Hosseini Mohammadi
ARJ Ghoddos Ezatollahi Hajsafi Torabi
Azmoun

Japan are fast, play good posession, and do a lot of overlapping runs. With this formation & lineup, you have Ghoddos & Hajsafi helping to provide additional defensive coverage in EXACTLY the areas of the defense we’ve been the most vulnerable.

You could switch ARJ with Gholizadeh but he might be better coming off the bench against tired legs.

With this lineup you have pace and defensive support on both sides of the wings.

[taha]

It's not just their clubs its the way they play I described that is a weakness for us if we play open.

England is not the best team in the world but 9 times out of 10 they will beat us worse than any other team. We would do better against Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Brazil. The way England plays is a poor matchup for us.

I think we beat Australia much easier than any game with Japan.

As of right now, their "team collective" is still better than ours when our wingbacks are passing to invisible people under no pressure and our main distributor is trying to do Zidane flick passes instead of work on his completion %.

Japan are the favourites by miles but it's football, you never know. Crosses on top of Suzuki will be key which I think is why GN might start Ramin which terrifies me. Mitoma will tear him a new one.

[taha]

How long have some of these guys been watching football for?

the takes...

https://twitter.com/dzdjud85174/stat...LFIiRHyRg&s=19

The fact that he used "blud" makes me think he is in his teens

[a_m]

The problem with this team is that we cannot sustain 90 minutes , we had an amazing second half up to the 64th minute before Syria got the penalty. We should have been up 3-0, by then but we missed way too many easy good chances, Tarmei , Sardar etc all missed good chances, We had zero intensity in attack no killer instinct , and just kept missing way too many easy easy, chances, chances that you might not get it against the team like Japan,


obviously, if you don’t score, there’s a high possibility if we made a stupid mistake and and they got a penalty.

We should be burying these chances against Syria before whatever reason we didn’t have the sharpness today at all

Syria is not a good team at all this team couldn’t score at all against us even when we were 10 men they couldn’t score against us.

- I think that Sardar should be benched he is much better coming in off the bench exactly how fc Roma was using him ,

- same with golizadeh come of the bench

This Japanese team is beatable they’re not invincible every game they have conceded a goal. There goalkeeper is not that good and if you attack them and you attack good you can beat them it’s just mentality thing.

Can we get over this mentality of only playing for 25 to 30 minutes of a 90 minute game can we get our heads into the game and actually play for 90 minutes then we can beat this Japanese team… why not !!